It was an evening that was all spiced up with beautifully clad ladies and delectable gentlemen, cozy ambience and the glitterati of the Bonny intellectual community. It was the special dinner marking the Grand Finale of the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Bonny Graduates Forum (BGF).

Unarguably, 25 years of existence does not come by easily in a society where intellectualism is receding like quick sand.

Reason why invited guests, keynote speakers, executive and members of the BGF turned out en masse on the evening of Friday, December 18, 2020, for the event which had the theme “The Socio-Economic Impact On Bonny Mega Projects: The Role Of Stakeholders”.

In his welcome address, the President of the BGF, Awoiyeala Allison, a Mechanical engineer, harped on the need to review the security situation in Bonny LGA in view of the imminent mega projects about to go live in the area such as the Nigeria LNG Train 7 project and Federal Government proposed Deepsea Port and Rail projects.

He emphasized on the theme, saying that “…the emphasis is to focus on security matters; how to curb insecurity to its barest minimum or to a standstill, as well as, the role of stakeholders in the development of Bonny Kingdom”.

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He noted that some of the challenges facing the forum include lack of a secretariat from where to operate, lack of representation at the Bonny Integrated Recruitment Centre (BIRC), and lack of hands-on experience in a skills-intensive work environment that the operational bases of the multinationals have now become.

Furthermore, he appealed to the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward Pepple III, CON, Perekule XI, and the Chairman of Bonny Local Government Area, David Irimagha, and other stakeholders to support the BGF in closing these critical gaps with a view to making the graduates of Bonny Kingdom more relevant to the development trajectory of the area.

Keynote Speaker and Special Guest of Honour, Se-Alabo Hanniel Jack-Wilson Pepple highlighted the basic principles of partnership which, according to him, were very essential in any partnership venture, emphasizing the need for formal and informal education, having the ability to communicate and competence in different areas of endeavour.

Se-Alabo Pepple, who is also the Chief and Head of the Jack-Wilson Pepple Chieftaincy House, urged graduates of Bonny origin to continue to demonstrate high level of responsibility and commitment to the cause of moving Bonny Kingdom to the next level.

Represented by the Secretary to the Bonny Local Government Council, Omoni Longjohn, Chairman of Bonny LGA, David Irimagha praised the Bonny Graduates Forum (BGF) for having come thus far, commending the forum for its outstanding contributions to the development and progress of the area.

He pledged that his administration would continue to support the body in its efforts at creating opportunities for graduates of Bonny origin and scaling up their capacity play key roles in various sectors of the economy.   

Executive Director of Care Management Consulting, Lolo Hailsham, who was represented by the Executive Director of the Adata Bristol Foundation (ABF), Adata Bristol, praised the leadership of the BGF for sustaining the vision of the founders of the forum, pointing out that so far the forum has maintained its role as the breeding ground and convergence for professionals in Bonny LGA.

The Bonny Graduates Forum (BGF), which is the umbrella body of graduates of Bonny origin, was built on a positive vision, mission, and goals with the core values of respect, honesty, accountability, integrity, passion and uniqueness.

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In the 25 years of its existence, the BGF has remained committed to its cardinal objectives of promoting education, collaborating with relevant stakeholders to source for job and training opportunities for members and working to actualize its dream of building a befitting Secretariat with a well-structured library and training hall, among other facilities.